For the  parents and families of St. Therese Chinese Catholic School


Dear Parents,

The theme for December is Advent. Our liturgical year begins with Advent - we light one candle, then another and another, bringing more light as we wait for our Savior to come. As Mr. Howard shared with the staff in our last faculty meeting, it seems to be no accident that Advent aligns with our winter solstice - it is the darkest before the light comes back to us.

During this Advent season our children will be learning about the liturgical calendar, creating artwork for the MaryKnoll sisters and writing to some of our dear St. Therese friends. It is a beautiful time of year - the children are fine tuning their songs for the big Christmas Program on December 18th, our school and church are adorned with Christmas decor, and we all celebrate and share joy throughout our St. Therese community.

Ms. Kielusiak will be representing St. Therese in Beijing as a as a guest of the National Educational International Forum . Ms. Kielusiak is acting on behalf of St. Therese's administration. She will be visiting about a half dozen schools, seeking a sister school for us to build a strong partnership for cultural and educational exchanges. This trip is made possible due to Cornerstone's relationships with the educational community in Beijing and we are very thankful.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Christmas Program on December 18th. I am hoping that a school family walks away with an AMAZING Christmas prize in our 50-50 Raffle Drawing!! Raffle tickets may still be purchased in the school office or online. Please be sure to share this opportunity to win as much as $38,888 and many other great prizes with friends, co-workers and family members too! Good luck to all of you and may God bless you all.

Blessings,
Ms. Cavallone
Principal


The big drawing is in just 17 days!


PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE OR IN THE OFFICE
In and Around the Classroom

Our  1st graders  have been practicing their math skills by playing a game called "Salute." 

This game is similar to the game "Headbands" where each student has to guess what is on their own card after listening to clues from their classmates.




This year, our  2nd and 3rd graders  are participating in the latest Dear Pope Francis Letter Writing Project. Children from around the world have been sharing in letters and art work their deepest hopes, dreams and concerns with Pope Francis. 

Pope Francis has responded to
some of their questions in a beautiful book by Loyola Press entitled Dear Pope Francis.


The  7th grade created "lightening talks" (5 minute presentations) on food that they have never heard of, including discovering what minerals are in each food. Some of the unusual foods the students found were c hlodink, butter beer and lardo!


Students in the  5th through 8th grades participated in the annual Maryknoll Peace Essay project. The students worked with Mr. Howard and Mr. Flip to research and write essays that provided an excellent opportunity for students to reflect, ponder, meditate, organize thoughts and articulate a message. Just some of the interesting and amazing topics our student wrote about include:  finding inner peace and sharing that peace in chaotic situations,  peace-building and the middle child syndrome,  being a peace maker as a Chinese student with the Italian community during a parade.

Our Preschoolers received some very special visitors last week! 

Sister Mary Lou, a former resident of St. Therese (did you know St. Therese School once included a convent?), brought three Maryknoll Novices to visit our school and read to our children as part of their training and education. We feel so blessed to have visited with them!


Students celebrated Thanksgiving in style throughout the school with classroom versions of Thanksgiving favorites!

Check out the candid photos from other activities in and around the classroom on the School Photo Gallery that is on our website.
Please note that you must sign in to view these photos.
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Classroom Wish Lists Help Holiday Shopping

If you would like to support your child's teacher and St. Therese this Christmas but are not sure what might make a good gift, consider providing an item on a Classroom Wish List. Each teacher has posted their Wish List on their Classroom Page on the School Website. 

Thank you for your continued generosity and support!
Students Gain Confidence, Knowledge in Self Defense Class

Over twenty 3rd through 8th graders participated in a self-defense class on Wednesday, November 29th at school. During the session, led by Ivo Boykov from Titan Gym, students were instructed in techniques to help identify and fend off unwanted aggressors, and how to better protect themselves and their property. Although it is a very serious topic, students had fun and a few laughs during the session.

Parents and young adults (14+) are encouraged to join us for next week's session on December 6th at 5:45pm. Class is $20. Please complete the attached form to register.

Students Learn Relaxation and Mindfulness Techniques at School

Our Innovations Room was transformed into a place of peace, deep breathing, stretching, and relaxation for a series of Mindfulness Classes.  Many students learned some valuable relaxation and stress management techniques in our ongoing commitment to supporting and educating the whole child, including helping students establish a healthy lifestyle. Thank you to Beverly Yoga for donating their time and spending the day with us!

SPORTS ROUND-UP
Congrats again to all for a well-played Flag Football Season! Check out the School Photo Gallery here to see some photo highlights from the season. And, if you missed the wrap-up in our last parent newsletter, you can find the newsletter on the Families Tab of our website.
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